Isn't the battle between Teresa Kok and Dr Akmal a “proxy war” between DAP veterans and Umno grassroots?
As ironic as it may sound, Barisan Nasional’s mind-blowing landslide victory in the recently-concluded Mahkota by-election in Johor may have actually left many people dumbfounded, while sparking heated debate in the country!
In fact, such was the magnitude of the win that somewhat hilariously it seemed like every Ali, Ah Kow and Muthu in the unity government camp was jumping up and down claiming some credit for it, including Umno, DAP, PKR, Amanah - and even MCA!
For the record, BN candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah had won the state seat by 20,648 votes, garnering a staggering 27,995 votes, or about 79 per cent of the valid votes beating His Perikatan Nasional (PN) rival, Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, who secured a mere 7,347 votes.
Meanwhile, some political analysts have attributed the victory to BN’s loyal supporters base, particularly among Malay voters, which remains solid in the southern state which it has ruled since the country's independence; moreover, its message of “political stability” may have also resonated well with voters in the semi-urban constituency.
Furthermore, its rival PN doesn't quite have a strong foothold in the state (unlike in the northern conservative Malay Belt states); but perhaps, what was even more mind-boggling was that the humongous victory was actually achieved in spite of a markedly low turnout among non-Malay voters!
Yet, somewhat oblivious to all that, DAP Johor chief Liew Chin Tong seemed ecstatic at the outcome claiming that BN's victory in Mahkota showed that the collaboration between PH and BN can be the ‘winning formula’ for the next general election.
Winning formula… or a bad omen?
In fact, he pointed out that the BN candidate's haul of 27,995 votes, almost matched the combined 28,056 votes garnered by PH and BN in the previous state election; this, according to him was ample proof that PH votes had been successfully “transfered” to BN this time around.
Yet, Liew’s bullish outlook may have failed to hide the stark reality on the ground especially with the low non-Malay voter turnout, prompting his party chief Anthony Loke to call for an internal probe to see why the figures among the Chinese and Indians had dropped to an alarming 32% and 34% respectively while the Malays recorded a respectable 63%.
Moreover, he did appear to drop a hint when he urged all parties in the unity government coalition to close ranks and maintain a “harmonious relationship”; surely an obvious reference to the not-so-cosy relationship with Umno Youth?
But seriously, does one have to be a rocket scientist to be able to identify the root cause of the “snub” by a sizable portion of the non-Malay electorate there? Wasn't it apparent that the ongoing bitter standoff between Dr Akmal and Teresa Kok over the halal controversy would have put off a lot of non-Malays?
The truth is while the DAP camp may still be in a party mood as they lock arms with their new-found Umno “buddies”, the latter’s youth chief Dr Akmal seemed to have broken ranks; in fact, it was reported that last Sunday (Sept 29) he had brought along a contingent of more than 200 “comrades” to the police station to give his statement. If that wasn't a blatant show of force against the DAP – what is?
To add to that, judging by recent posts on his Facebook page he has hardly shown any signs of remorse, only defiance, as he vowed to offer his life… for race and religion; the Merlimau assemblyman also made his stand crystal clear to Kok and DAP - no fear, no sorry, no surrender!
While many Umno and DAP leaders were on “cloud nine” in Mahkota, two of its leaders will be fighting it out in court soon!
Conversely, while it’s true that several senior leaders in Umno seemed to have taken a conciliatory stance against DAP with some even publicly acknowledging PH component parties’ significant contribution to the victory, yet there were others such as its Johor deputy chief Nur Jazlan Mohamed who have stated that it was about time PH apologised to Umno over decades of slanderous allegations!
Interestingly, there was a word of caution from one well-respected political pundit Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya who warned that the turnout rate in Mahkota, reflecting a broader national demographic, may actually suggest a potential warning for PH.
He added: “If PH continues its alliance with BN, it may face a backlash from non-Malay voters…who may feel alienated by PH's cooperation with a party they associate with past governance issues…and if PH does not address these concerns and fails to energise this voter bloc, it risks a lower turnout or even a boycott in GE16!”
The bottom line is, there are many “concerns” that the PH and BN-Umno top leadership may need to address head on, not least the obvious thorn in the flesh - Umno Youth; but for as long as DAP and PM Anwar are unwilling to muster enough courage to confront these concerns, Dr Mahathir’s recent grim prognosis that the unity government is nothing more than a “house of cards” waiting to fall, remains a possibility. But will Anwar and DAP act – before it's too late?
Information source: Straits Times, NST, FMT, Focus Malaysia, Daily Express, Sun Daily, Malaysiakini, Akmal Saleh Facebook and Malaysia Now.
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